Office of Community Affairs Outreach and Education

The County of San Mateo (the “County” or “SMC”) is committed to engaging hard-to-reach communities and ensuring they can access vital County programs and services. Many residents face significant challenges, including language barriers and limited access to technology, which prevent them from connecting with available resources. To address these gaps, the County seeks to collaborate with local trusted community partners who can bridge these barriers and effectively connect these hard-to-reach populations with access to County resources, services, and initiatives.

The Office of Community Affairs (OCA), a division within the County Executive’s Office, works to bridge these gaps by fostering communication and engagement between the County and its residents. The OCA serves as a liaison between County departments, community-based organizations, and other key stakeholders to ensure that residents have the information and resources to understand the latest initiatives from County departments and provide input.

OCA’s core principles center on engaging diverse communities and fostering quality outcomes. The office works to:

• Implement grassroots outreach strategies and creative approaches to mobilize and engage hard-to-reach populations.
• Utilize information and best practices to engage communities to ensure access to resources and opportunities.
• Build authentic, enduring partnerships with community organizations, service providers, and local stakeholders to ensure collaborative action.
• Develop culturally relevant and linguistically appropriate messaging to reach diverse populations effectively.
• Utilize data-informed strategies, including geospatial data, to identify and target areas and communities that are most in need of outreach and support.

Despite these efforts, connecting with underrepresented and hard-to-reach communities remains a challenge. The purpose of this Request for Proposal is to improve culturally and linguistically appropriate messaging for the growing non/limited English-speaking and immigrant communities. Therefore, OCA is requesting proposals from eligible frontline organizations to provide outreach and education services to San Mateo County residents. The selected contractor(s) will implement education and outreach campaigns to increase awareness of County resources, access to services, and initiatives. This proposal will focus on using trusted messengers to reach diverse communities through various campaigns and messaging based on County priorities and initiatives, such as how to access emergency response services due to weather conditions, tenant protection rights, or reporting poor farmworker housing conditions.

OCA intends for the services provided to increase the reach of communications, announce important program and project milestones, share important information and resources, and showcase local successes.

The contract shall have an original term of one (1) year. In addition, the County shall have one (1) option to extend the term for a period of one (1) year per contract, which the County may exercise in its sole, absolute discretion. The results of this RFP may be used by any County department or by other entities, within 12 months of the conclusion of the competitive solicitation process.